February Newsletter

Winter is Here!

Greetings folks. We hope this newsletter finds you well, warm, and safe.


February is Black History Month, a time for us to focus on the amazing contributions of Africans, African Americans, and other people who identify as Black in our country. We invite you to seek out Black parishes, Black businesses, Black cultural institutions, and Black communities to learn, engage, and connect.


There are also several Synod listening sessions this month. We encourage you to attend and make your voice heard. (More information is available below.)


We launched last month a new Northern-area specific newsletter, The Northern Voice. You can find the first issue on our Fields of Justice page, the homepage of our Northern area social justice collaborative. Please let our office know if you'd like to receive future issues (planning on a quarterly release).


Please know that we continue to pray for and support you, and we humbly ask that you continue to pray for us too.


If there's anything that we can do to support the work happening in your community, please let us know. We're trying to be more present to deaneries, parishes, schools, and neighborhoods, and we'd love to (re)connect with you and work to build up God's kingdom of peace, justice, and kinship.

We will continue to send out Regional Updates with time-sensitive reminders and Action Alerts encouraging everyone to bring their voice and power to bear on important issues. 

We wish you a joyful Advent and Christmas season, and - as always - we look forward to seeing you soon as we continue to stand up for justice, compassion, and equity. 

Peace,
Sara, Tammie, Sr. Christine, Mickey, & Andrew


The Synod on Synodality


The Pope has announced that in Oct. 2023 there will be a synod (or assembly). In preparation for this gathering, there will be a Synod on Synodality - a two year process of praying, listening, dialoguing, and discerning which will culminate in the celebration of the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops 10/2023. Every diocese in the world will participate. 


In our neck of the woods, there will be a series of meetings to hear from people across the Archdiocese. You can find the schedule of meetings here (1/6 through 2/24) as well learn more about the process. We encourage as many people as possible to show up at this gatherings and make their voices heard, sharing especially about how the Church must stand for the poor, the marginalized, and the forgotten.


***Please note that a virtual option has been added for Tues. Feb. 22 at 7:00pm. You can sign up for that session here. Only 300 people can attend this session so we encourage you to sign up now if you're interested.***



BETTER MARKETING OF LOCAL FOODS

IS TOPIC OF UPCOMING SEMINAR

 

 

On Sunday, February 20, 2022, from 1:00 to 4:00 pm, the Brown County Food Council, OSU Extension, ABCAP, Catholic Rural Life, Adams-Brown Diabetes Education Coalition, and the Adams County Public Library will sponsor the Fourteenth Annual “Buy Local Foods” Seminar, with a theme of boosting the marketing of our local foods. After an introductory talk, the main part of the program will showcase eight local producers and how they market their agricultural products. There will also be a presentation about farmers markets and an update on our local food councils. The seminar will be held virtually on Zoom. To register, please follow this link to Eventbrite: https://bit.ly/3eXOsu7.


For more information, call Julie Kline (937) 515-1807, Sue Basta (937) 515-6900, or Pat Hornschemeier (513) 752-0647. There is no charge for admission. 

 

Click here for a flyer.



Abolishing the Death Penalty


For many decades, the Catholic Church has strongly discouraged the use of the death penalty as a means to protect citizens. Sadly, despite multiple attempts to end its use in OH, it is still legal.


Thankfully, there is a real possibility that we can abolish the death penalty in OH this year. Two key pieces of legislation – SB 108 and HB 183 – have been introduced that would abolish the death penalty. The Ohio bishops collectively and Archbishop Schnurr individually have issued statements supporting this legislation, and their voices joining a growing state-wide coalition working to end the death penalty. We encourage all Catholics in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to join in the effort to end this state-sanctioned violence and respect all life, from womb to tomb.


Laudato Si’ Action Platform



Are you involved with work that is focused on caring for God's creation, whether in your parish, in your community, with a nonprofit organization, or something else?

  1. If so, we'd love to learn about it. As we plan how we'll engaged with the Vatican's Laudato Si' Action Platform (LSAP), we're seeking to build a database of all of the different programs that are engaged in caring for the Earth and its inhabitants. Please complete this form and let us know what you're doing, where you're doing it, and how we might be able to support it.
  2. We're also looking to build a roster of people who are (or would like to be) engaged in working to care for all of creation and might be interested in joining our efforts to implement the LSAP in our archdiocese. If you're interested, please complete this short form.





MARCC is one of the key partners in our interfaith work. We've partnered with them on several projects, including the MARCC ID and advocacy on multiple justice issues.
Many of our current representatives have worked on this initiative for several years, and we're now looking for a couple new folks to represent the Archdiocese with this group. If this might be of interest to you, please let Andrew know.


A Mighty Stream


EquaSion, the parent organization of the Festival of Faiths, has launched a new interfaith educational and action initiative to address racism. It is called 'A Mighty Stream' and the Social Action has signed on as one of the initial partners. You can click here to learn more, and if your parish is interested in joining this wonderful effort, please let Andrew know.



From the Respect Life Office


Domestic Violence

Carol was happily married until she became pregnant with her first child. She then started getting hit for a variety of reasons, such as now being ugly or not doing things quickly enough. At first she was too embarrassed to say anything to her family, but eventually the bruises became too difficult to hide or explain away. Overall, though, her family discouraged divorce and encouraged her to figure out how to make it work so she didn’t leave. One night she was beaten so badly she ended up in the hospital. He visited her in the hospital once, then left town, and called that he wasn’t coming back.


Why don’t people in an abusive relationship just leave? There can be many reasons. Abusers are often so controlling that the victim doesn’t have the financial or social structures available to have anywhere else to go. Abusers also often charming to others and have many friends who can defend them in court so the abused may find it difficult to fight that battle as well. Perhaps the most pressing reason is that an abused person often fears for her life or those of her children if she leaves. There are many other factors as well so it is important to just recognize it is not as easy as it sounds.


More than 20,000 calls per day are made to domestic violence hotlines in the United States. It is a big problem, and the Catholic Church recognizes it as such. The U.S. Bishops strongly condemn it and offer guidance for parishes in its 2002 document, “When I Call For Help”. 


To check out the interview with Carol and others - and find resources for your parish to help those experience Domestic Violence - check out our dedicated page at https://resources.catholicaoc.org/offices/respect-life-ministries/issues/domestic-violence


For more stories from the Office for Respect Life Ministries,

check out their newsletter here



Global Solidarity Conference - Postponed


Due to the ongoing pandemic and the desire to get together in-person, we've decided to postpone the May 3 "We are ALL One" conference until we can meet safely in the same physical space.


Thanks so much for your patience and understanding.



Follow us on social media!


Our office is now on multiple social media platforms. Please add us to your contacts, friends, or following list so we keep you up to date on what's going on.


Twitter: @AoCincinnatiCsa


Instagram: @aocincinnati_csa


YouTube: @CatholicSocialActionAOC


Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/csacinci



COVID-19 Vaccine Information 


There have been questions about the current Covid-19 vaccines and any moral issues that Catholics might have with taking them. The Ohio Bishops and the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith have both issued statements that address and support the moral use of these vaccines to save lives by fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. 


Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith Addresses the Use of Anti-COVID-19 Vaccines


USCCB Document 1 | USSCB Document 2


Ohio Bishops Issue Letter on Vaccines


Vaccines developed by Moderna and Pfizer to combat COVID-19 may be taken without moral reservations, and some pro-life Catholic scholars have stated that all vaccines are morally acceptable.



Andrew Musgrave - Cincinnati, Director

Sara Seligmann - Dayton

Sr. Christine Pratt - Eastern Area

Regional Coordinator - (open)

Tammie Mers - Administrative Assistant

Mickey Townsend - CCHD intern


Catholic Social Action Office

Archdiocese of Cincinnati

csa@catholicaoc.org

100 East Eighth Street
Cincinnati, OH 45202
513-261-6690
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